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Latest from guest blogger Kristin Vanderhey Shaw: I Want Daddy!

Posted by Catherine on January 26, 2012   :  5 comments

I Want Daddy

Most of the time, my son wants Mama.  Mama!  Mama!  Mama!  He'll get right in my face and say it, if he thinks I'm not paying attention.  But there are times that he wants Daddy, and Mama will not do.

I remember coming home from a business trip last year, and the only thing I wanted to do was hug my little boy and put him to bed.  I ran upstairs, arriving home just in time to read books and put him in the crib.

He cried.  "Want Daddy!  Want Daddy!" and pushed me away.  I turned away, tears running down my face.  My husband looked at me with sympathetic eyes, and in order to keep the peace at bedtime, I left the room and let my husband take over.  Friends assured me that this was normal, and that as he gets older, this will happen many times, in different situations, as he tests his independence.  Later that night, our son woke me up and I was ecstatic to hold him and comfort him back to sleep.  Me.  Mama.

I know how lucky I am to have a husband who is such an involved father.  Every night, we share the bedtime ritual, each playing our part in sync.  I bring T upstairs and brush his teeth, Will bathes him and gets him into his pajamas, and reads the first book, and then I read two more books, lead the prayers, and tuck him into bed.  We take our occasional date nights from 5-7:30 PM so that we can still put T to bed, because we love to do it.  It won't be long before the next milestone: he'll be running his own bath and jumping into bed on his own.

There are plenty of single moms out there and sometimes the fathers play a very minor role in their children's lives; I'm grateful and thankful that's not me.  I'm lucky that I have a full partner in this journey called parenthood, because it's a big job. 

My son will know that his father loves him by his actions, and I must be smart enough to step aside and let him see:

Daddy reads with him.

Daddy gives him an abundance of hugs and kisses.

Daddy plays catch with him.

Daddy laughs and jokes around with him.

Daddy prepares meals for him.

Daddy carries him in his big, strong arms.

Daddy is firm but patient with him.

Daddy tells him he loves him and we can see it in his eyes.

I hope that he remembers these moments if and when he has children of his own.  I hope he is as close to his father growing up as he is to me, and I realize that sometimes he may be closer to one than another, and that will change. 

I hope he will see just how lucky he is to have this man for his father.

Kristin is a mother of a sweet 2-year-old boy and wife to a fantastic 6th-generation Texan, living in Austin, Texas.  Loves: her baby boy, airplanes, airports, classic cars, sports, Italy, and dessert; not necessarily in that order. You can reach her via Twitter @AustinKVS or via her blog http://www.twocannoli.com

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